Lost the plot

1. The Little Friend by Donna Tartt. This was very disappointing to read after The Secret History (one of my favourite books). It languished under my bed half-read for a few years before I skim-read the rest of it.

2. Babel Tower by A S Byatt. Although I’ve started this twice I haven’t admitted defeat on it yet – it’s still on my to-read shelf.

3. Little Men by Louisa M Alcott. I wouldn’t say I altogether disliked it, but unlike Little Women it doesn’t seem to have much of a story, so it was a bit of a slog to get through it.

4. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. For some reason I can’t get into books set in India. At least I didn’t waste money on this one – it was a library book.

5. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I did eventually finish it but it put me off buying anything else labeled as magical realism.

6. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie. Magical realism set in India – why did I buy this? I didn’t finish it and didn’t bother keeping it.

7. Number 9 Dream by David Mitchell. Interesting premise but it got tedious and confusing. I did finish it eventually, and it was better than I’d expected from the confusing beginning.

8. The Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkein. It was worth it in the end, but it took me over 20 years to get beyond the first book.

9. Harry Potter a l’Ecole des Sorciers by J K Rowling. I can only manage a few pages of this at a time – it’s a long-term project for me.

10. The Complete Works of Jane Austen. I’m enjoying it, but it is another long-term project.

1 comment:

I was surprised when I read the survey and "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" won. After getting half way I lost interest. I haven't read any fiction since (not counting reading to my children). So much for Rowling encouriging reading?